1. The CIA’s mission is to collect intelligence from around the world to support national security and be the central repository for all other intelligence agencies. The CIA does not do domestic intelligence.
2. The CIA is the foreign intelligence collection agency for the United States. The FBI does domestic intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security does domestic law enforcement.
3. There are 33 different intelligence organizations in the United States. The CIA is the central repository for all of the intelligence collected by these organizations.
4. The President’s Daily Brief (PDB) is a report that is created by the CIA every day that summarizes the most important intelligence from around the world. The PDB is between 50 and 125 pages long and is briefed to the President every morning.
5. The Director of the CIA is appointed by the President and is responsible for carrying out the President’s wishes. The Director is essentially the CEO of the CIA and the President is the customer.
6. The CIA has a competition problem. Everyone wants their intelligence to be on the first page of the PDB and there is a lot of jockeying for position. This can sometimes lead to inaccurate or misleading intelligence being included in the PDB.
7. The CIA is a flawed system because the Director is appointed by the President and is not always the most qualified person for the job. This can lead to cronyism and corruption.
8. Andrew Bustamante is a former CIA officer who served under General David Petraeus. He believes that the most important thing in life is self-respect.
9. Bustamante also believes that the United States is a great country because of the power of the individual. He is grateful for the opportunity to serve his country and to inspire others.